This invention relates to an electrical connecting member for use in electrical connection with a connection object and a connector using the same.
A typical electronic apparatus comprises a housing containing a substrate, a connector mounted on the substrate, and electronic parts connected to the connector. In recent years, the electronic apparatus is reduced in size and, consequently, the electronic parts are required to be reduced in size. Within a limited space, it is desired that the connector is reduced in size, increased in number of contacts, and narrowed in pitch.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H5-74512 discloses an electrical connector in which a plurality of balls provided with a conductive thin film formed thereon are embedded in a resin film. However, this electrical connector is not excellent in mass-productivity and is not easily adaptable to the increase in number of contacts because the balls are embedded in the resin film one by one.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-56907 discloses an electrical connecting member comprising an insulating sheet having opposite surfaces coated with an adhesive and conductive fibers set in the insulating sheet. However, this electrical connecting member is poor in retryability because, upon occurrence of an error in a step of setting the conductive fibers, not only the conductive fibers but also the insulating sheet with pierced holes formed therein by setting the conductive fibers must be discarded.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2005-38700 discloses a connector in which a contact is attached to an insulator by adhesiveness. However, this connector is disadvantageous in that the contact is less compliant with a terminal of a substrate as a connection object.